Lahu Village Near Wawee Blanket Appeal

[dindong]

We have a friend who lives in village, Huay Chilaek near Doi Wawee and they are looking for some blankets.

For the last few days it has been about 7 or 8 degrees and people are really cold.

We plan to go there on the 1st January and from there, go on to the Tea Festival at Doi Wawee..

Would really appreciate any help given and if anyone wants to come along, they are welcome.

Please contact or pm me before the 30th.

[harrry]

I am sure the cold is a problem and I can totally understand the need for warm clothes every year. I wonder about blankets though as they seem to be given every year and surely can last more than one year as people are not nomadic now.

Hope the kids stay warm though and lots of luck.

[canuckamuck]

The house I am renovating is about 10 minutes from this village and I can assure you it is frickin cold. I use a big quilted comforter and have a nice mattress, but still feel the chill. A grass mat and thin blanket in a breezy bamboo hut would be a very uncomfortable at night. I am sure all of the blankets are greatly appreciated as someone could probably use three at a time.

[dindong]

I think that 1 blanket per year would not be sufficient for any household with a few children.

There are approx. 150 houses in the vicinity of this village and we were hoping to get about 150 blankets.

The light ones are about 120 baht in Mae Sai so if anyone is going up there over the next few days, perhaps they could buy one or two.

Thanks

[toybits]

I have a 100 blankets. I could take them to Huai Khi Lek when you go on the 1st of Jan. PM me.

[toybits]

Still no PM, still no reply. Looks like my blankets are going to another village.

[sceadugenga]

Give him a bit longer toybits, he's probably out collecting from other sources.

[dindong]

Still no PM, still no reply. Looks like my blankets are going to another village.

Toybits I sent you a reply.

We would be very glad to get your blankets. The village name is Khi Lek Mai( spelling)

Thanks

[toybits]

Dindong, It was a pleasure to spend the day distributing blankets, sweaters and gifts to these villagers. Hope to do this again next year.

[Limbo]

There is nothing romantic about poverty and the worst thing is when people

even don't have the possibility to improve their and their childrens life, other

than in a relative sense by being exploited.

A lot of postings in this forum concern the trip to Mae Sai. Aside of

visa-technical questions most of them are questions about how to

save money by taking the cheapest busses, staying in the cheapest

hotels and eating in the cheapest restaurants. Other, many of them

posed by 'fourwheeldriven' Charlies, ask for the best restaurants and

the best hotels.

Dingdong and Toybits certainly have made this trip as well and probably

even many more times than most of us.

They have seen the same steakhouses, coffee shops, gasoline stations

and beautiful mountains along the road as everybody did.

What not everybody shares, is the awareness about the disastrous

situation in which many people live in this beautiful mountains.

Often you don't even have to go as far as the mountains: sometimes

poverty starts less than a few hundred meters from the 'superhighway'.

Toybits, Dingdong and the rest of the 'club', my respect!

You are not the only ones that realize that a couple of thousand Baht

sometimes makes the difference.

The "Smiling Child Fund' of the Rotary of Mae Chan has calculated

that three thousand Baht makes the difference between going to school

or not going to school for too many children.

This is not about how many blankets a person needs to survive a winter;

Nature answers that question! It's just about blankets and this in an area

where the mortality among elder people is very high in the cold season.

Give my best wishes to ..ny and ..berto! Didn't see them for a long time ;-)

..hn

[dindong]

Well said Limbo.

A big thank you to Toybits,the Hilltribe and Museum and Education Centre,the PDA-Chiang Rai,the STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION and the many people who contributef to this cause.

We had a great fun day out and hopefully added a little comfort to the lives of some people.

Looking forward to doing it again soon.

[toybits]

Maybe next time, we can round up more souls to join us. Perhaps even make suggestions about which area, village, community needs assistance. Love your comment Limbo. Drop by office when you can.

[sceadugenga]

There's a blanket distribution going on in the mountains today, I was flagged down by a busload of black uniformed.... hillstribe police???... at the lake on the Hoysan/Doi Chaang road this morning who were quite surprised when I parked and a farang got out with a dog on a lead.

I can only assume they thought I was there for a blanket.

I noticed the bus was loaded with blankets and as numerous hillstribe folk turned up they off loaded several bundles, climbed into the bus on top of the blankets and drove off.

[toybits]

Probably border patrol police from Ban Huai San Lisaw where they have a school.

There's a blanket distribution going on in the mountains today, I was flagged down by a busload of black uniformed.... hillstribe police???... at the lake on the Hoysan/Doi Chaang road this morning who were quite surprised when I parked and a farang got out with a dog on a lead.

I can only assume they thought I was there for a blanket.

I noticed the bus was loaded with blankets and as numerous hillstribe folk turned up they off loaded several bundles, climbed into the bus on top of the blankets and drove off.